Pros
The kids are amazing! You get to learn awesome things from them as well! You are changing lives across the world! The company gets a lot of feedback and does prove that they are listening by making changes and updates based off feedback. You are in charge of your own schedule and availability. You don't have an jerk-face boss breathing down your neck. They have neat incentives and lots of activities and workshops and things that bring the community of teachers together. You don't have to pay for gas to drive to work (but you will need to pay to have quality materials: a desktop, not a laptop, an Ethernet cord, good headphones, a mouse, a ring light, ManyCam, possibly other software like X-Split, maybe extra lights and a green screen....again, how much you put into it is going to influence how many students and bookings you get...)
Cons
It IS frustrating when your feedback ISN'T listened to (or it may not be listened to in a timely manner) but realistically, they can only address so many things at a time. The cancellation process is STRICT. There are so many teachers, thus the perk of no jerk-face boss, but the con is they have to find a way that is feasible for them to manage cancellations and no-shows. You get only 6 per contract (6 months.) That includes sleeping in (it will happen---working with a different time zone can be very exhausting), being sick, your kid being sick, and whatever else life may throw your way. AND you get $10 deducted from your pay for each class you miss. BUT if it's serious enough that you have a doctor's note, they can work with you. (A regular sickness like barfing for hours will not be good enough unfortunately.) AND you can easily ACCIDENTALLY accept a booking and you CAN NOT undo it. There is a learning curve and if you stick with it, you can find ways that work for you and get in a groove but give yourself time. (The more classes you teach, the more room for error/the higher statistical chance of you getting sick on days you teach.) You may book classes a month out and 2 weeks later get invited to do something fun with friends but alas, you can't go unless you want strikes on your contract. 3 missed classes=1 strike (and -$30), so if you have 4-6 classes that day, that's TWO strikes, not just one (and -$40-$60). Keep in mind, you will work more than the exact amount of time you are paid for, HOWEVER, you are not having to drive to and from work. How much unpaid time you work is up to you BUT it can influence whether you get good feedback, whether you get regular students and enough bookings, and whether you feel you are doing your job. Personally, it would anguish me to put forth no time preparing for classes, deciding on how I will reward that child, and writing feedback on the class (not paid for) that is quality. I'm a very educated, smart, and good teacher. Regardless of pay, I'm not about to be one of the ones that submits "great job" to the family and walks away satisfied with that.
